News
CODINGAME RAISES $1.6 MILLION TO BECOME THE MUST-HAVE GAMING PLATFORM FOR PROGRAMMERS
CodinGame, a startup that enables programmers to master the craft of coding through interactive games, has announced a $1.6 Million round led by ISAI, BlablaCar’s early investor, along with its existing investors (Angels from Seed4Soft group). The financing will be used to accelerate the US growth, already #1 country on the platform, strengthen CodinGame’s international presence to reach 1 Million developers within 1 year, and fuel upcoming innovations on its technology platform.
CodinGame aims at helping developers hone and showcase their coding skills the fun way. Launched in September 2014, the platform provides developers with a unique free online playground to practice their coding skills in 20+ programming languages (ranging from Java to Python, Ruby, C#, Scala, Groovy, or even Bash).
“Games and programming share very similar psychological mechanisms”, says Frédéric Desmoulins, Co-founder and CEO of CodinGame. “Programming is all about getting an adrenaline shot while solving challenges, being confronted to failures and perseverance, with, in the end, this incredible feeling of accomplishment as a reward when you achieve to get that bit of code finally working. The reason why we became programmers in the first place is often because as video game players, we wanted to be able to go beyond the game and control it. So we decided to merge both fields into one exciting platform”.
An engaging multiplayer real time coding platform
CodinGame turns complex programming problems into immersive games where lines of codes have replaced pads and where players get a visualisation of their programs through animated graphics. The games are designed for Advanced Beginners to Expert programmers and range between four difficulty levels. An Onboarding module provides step-by-step guidance for first-time users to get familiar with the platform.
Different modes are available to tackle different needs in practicing programming: the Solo mode helps developers learn and train individually, the Multiplayer mode lets them discover Artificial Intelligence programming by fighting against hundreds of other players in real time, whereas the Clash of Code specials allows them to challenge their friends on 5-minute coding battles.
To date, the award-winning platform is probably one of the most technically accomplished on the market with its complete browser-based IDE and scalable distributed Cloud architecture able to host several thousands of coders and have them compiling their code simultaneously.
More than 200K coders in 160 countries (USA being #1)
The addictive nature of the platform leads to an average daily usage of 45 minutes on the site. The players’ personal profile stands as a programmer portfolio showcasing coding skills under the form of earned badges and rankings in a variety of leaderboards.
CodinGame is proud of its community and diversity is what makes it unique. Developers from all backgrounds join to share their passion for programming with their peers. If star Graduates from Stanford rub shoulders with Google employees as well as bright self-taught coders in a competitive spirit, players also collaborate together with a true sense of mutual help. The goal of the platform is thus to continue to make it more accessible for more novice programmers who want to keep progressing, supported by a community of mentors.
In a few months, CodinGame has brought together more than 230,000 developers in 160 countries. Thanks to its steady viral growth that has been multiplied by 6 over the past 6 months, the community is expected to reach 1 Million users in the next year.
Empowering developers to learn and sharpen their skills the fun way
“The CodinGame team has done a lot to take the platform much further than its insanely addictive games. The strong engagement players show gave us the feeling that it was going to become a must-have at every stage of a developer’s life”, says Christophe Raynaud, Managing Director at ISAI.
Learning and staying up-to-date with technology is part of every developer’s DNA. CodinGame’s aim is also to accompany its members to land jobs that match their talent and ambition, no matter their diploma or resume.
“We want to help developers to keep learning, get better, and build amazing things. Our goal is to develop learning modules on the platform to empower users acquire new skills and fulfill their professional goals whatever their initial skill level”, says Aude Barral, Co-founder and CMO.
Hundreds of tech companies among which majors such as Nintendo, eBay, Adobe, or Ubisoft regularly sponsor CodinGame’s online coding contests and offer positions.
About CodinGame:
CodinGame is a platform where programmers can sharpen their coding skills through games and share their passion for programming with their peers. The startup is on a mission to change the way people enjoy programming. More than 500 customers already rely on its expertise to shape their employer brand and connect with top talent through hackathon sponsoring. CodinGame is headquartered in Montpellier, France, and plans to open offices in San Francisco.
Contact:
Aude Barral - CoFounder
aude@codingame.com
www.codingame.com
+33 674 632 708
About ISAI :
ISAI, the french tech founders’ fund, was founded by Pierre Koscuisko-Morizet, Geoffroy Roux de Bezieux, Stéphane Treppoz, and Ouriel Ohayon and is managed by Jean- David Chamboredon, Christophe Raynaud and Pierre Martini. ISAI has raised €150m mainly from more than 100 entrepreneurs such as the founders of Alloresto (JustEat), Aufeminin (AxelSpringer), Betclic, Boursorama, Criteo, Fortuneo, Micromania, Mistergooddeal, Overblog, Netcentrex, Onedirect, Photoweb, Pick-up Services, Photobox, Seloger, ShowRoomPrive, Sophis, Slimpay, Sunrise, Travelprice, Twenga, Toluna, Vente-privee, Voyagermoinscher, Webhelp. Since its first deal in june 2010 in Blablacar, ISAI has backed about 20 companies among which Stickyads, TinyClues, Evaneos or Shopmium which was recently acquired by Coupons.com (QUOT).
UNIQUESOUND (TECHSTARS NYC'15) RAISES 1M$
UniqueSound, the marketplace where professional content creators directly connect with 1000+ curated music composers, has announced today that it has raised $1M in a seed fundraising with Felix Capital, Foundry Group Angels, ISAI and angel investors such as Tobias Peggs, Frederic Montagnon and Denis Hennequin.
New York, Paris
UniqueSound answers the need and opportunity to supply professional content creators, such as ad agencies, brands, video platforms, video game studios and video producers, with a one-stop-shop platform for their music needs. Content creators can hire composers for custom music or search the ready-to-use-music of those composers.
The platform is already used by early adopters such as Vice Media, TBWA or Verizon.
“Most content needs music, but there was no central place to find and hire music composers. The access to composers was blocked by middlemen that had no interest in directly connecting composers with buyers. While composers struggle to find job opportunities and to sell their work, content creators also struggle to find talented composers and to license quality music. At UniqueSound, we connect composers with buyers so that they can collaborate and do repeat business together. This fundraising will give us the chance to connect the huge market for content makers and the great talent in the UniqueSound composers network,” Romain Cochet, UniqueSound CEO.
Since March 2015, UniqueSound has proudly welcomed some of the most gifted music composers in the world. “UniqueSound has really helped solve a big part of the puzzle when it comes to becoming a media composer, finding clients and letting them find you.” Clark Rhee, a composer who has worked with US Postal and Roominate through UniqueSound. See the projects here.
Paul Strachman, investor at ISAI: “Uniquesound offers a unique platform to match music composers to content creators looking for music and sound. The team has already onboarded more than 1,000 top composers and ISAI is excited to support their efforts in the US and in Europe as they continue to build tools to help music composers serve this growing market.”
UniqueSound will use the funding round to expand its team in NYC and Paris, develop the sales and build a product that will make the workflow between composers and content creators easy.
Antoine Nussembaum, Investor at Felix Capital added “we believe that Uniquesound brings a unique solution to content creators who need music. We have been impressed by the team’s fast pace in adding great talents on the platform and are delighted to back Uniquesound’s expansion plans.”
Contact: Romain.cochet@uniquesound.com
About UniqueSound
UniqueSound was founded in Paris in September 2014 to answer the need and opportunity to supply professional content creators, such as ad agencies,brands, video platforms, video game studios and video producers, with a one-stop-shop platform for their music needs. UniqueSound, which graduated from NUMA Paris in December 2014 and Techstars NYC in April 2015 has grown to over one thousand curated composers. The company, which won Midem Startup contest in June 2015, today employs 5 people.
Marketing materials (logo and screenshots): Marketing materials UniqueSound
Examples of composers’ profiles
http://www.uniquesound.com/silashite
http://www.uniquesound.com/jean-gabrielbecker
Our Manifesto http://wp.me/p5WaWZ-ek
BLABLACAR RAISES $200M TO BECOME EUROPE'S LATEST UNICORN.
BlaBlaCar has been valued at $1.58bn, making us one of five most valuable start ups in Europe! With a recent round of funding of $200M led by Insight Venture Partners, Lead Edge Capital and Vostok New Ventures, we will continue to expand our ridesharing service across the globe. Read all about this exciting news in The Telegraph, The Financial Times, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, Forbes, NPR, Tech.eu,Venture Beat, The Express and Reuters.
SUBLIME SKINZ EXPANDS US OPERATIONS WITH $5M FUNDING IN RESPONSE TO INDUSTRY CONCERNS OVER VIEWABILITY
Digital skin-based ad specialist Sublime Skinz Secures significant investment from French Firm ISAI to facilitate US expansion and respond to market demand for increased viewability.
Sublime Skinz, specialist in high-impact, non-intrusive digital ad formats, today announced it has raised $5m in growth equity from ISAI, the French entrepreneurs’ fund. The funding will accelerate the deployment of the company’s ambitious technological roadmap and international development, particularly in the US, with a fourth office to open in New York before the end of the year.
To drive the project alongside the six cofounders at Sublime Skinz, two ad tech specialists will join the board of directors: Ouriel Ohayon (Appsfire, Techcrunch), based in San Francisco, and Fred Montagnon(Overblog, Teads, Secret Media), based in NYC.
Sublime Skinz’ unique platform makes wallpaper formats (Skinz) accessible to everyone across multiple websites. The company’s technology enables publishers to better monetise their inventory, increase the efficiency of advertisers’ campaigns, and offer non-intrusive advertising formats to more than 200 million users each month.
Jean-Marc Pericone, President and Founder of Sublime Skinz, said: “During our first two years of self-financing, we were solicited many times to open up our capital but we were waiting for the right moment and the right partner. This fundraising will enable us to implement our international strategy to address the needs of the global ad industry, and we are pleased to be supported by a partner whose enthusiasm and engagement has been steadfast since the start.”
Pierre Martini, Managing Partner in charge of the growth equity fund at ISAI, commented: “We are delighted to support Sublime Skinz in their next stage of development. We have been impressed by the company’s level of growth, which demonstrates the natural appeal of this universal ad format. Our investment will help the company to deploy its product worldwide, as well as develop its native mobile and DMP offerings. Depending on the pace of development we are prepared to leverage this financing round with debt in order to further advance the capacity of the company – and ultimately – better serve the needs of the ad industry.”
Jean-Francois Rivassou, Investment Director of ISAI, added: “The Sublime Skinz’team hasdemonstrated its capacity to rapidly deploy its technology with a high level of professionalism, which has been recognised by the market. With this round, the entire ISAI network is coming together to support these entrepreneurs and strive towards the company’s growth.”
The Sublime Skinz' team includes around 30 staff who develop its product offering across three offices – Paris (HQ), London, and San Francisco. Its product suite comprises ten formats, all regularly enriched by new innovative products. The latest – VIDEOSKINZTM – offers a new video advertising solution already used by advertisers such as Samsung, Warner, Opel, and Netflix. Future innovations will be announced in the upcoming months, in fields such as interactivity, engagement, and mobile.
Skinadvertising – also known as wallpaper or site takeover – is one of the most qualitative formats on the web: impactful yet non-intrusive, it does not prevent users accessing the site’s content. The format outperforms against key metrics, offering 94% visibility[1], 300% more visual engagement[2], and click rates above 3%[3] – more than 10 times higher than traditional formats.
Sublime Skinz’ innovative technology solves technical implementation and scalability issues of the skin, which until now prevented publishers distributing wallpapers quickly and on a large scale.
Sublime Skinz offers a spectacular synthesis between buying tools (direct and programmatic) and campaign goals (branding and performance). The programmatic development was made possible due to the integration of the format on the largest advertising platforms worldwide, such as Google DBM, MediaMath, AppNexus, and Turn, who have all contributed to evolving this format for use by the largest media buying agencies in Europe.
And the results speak for themselves:
• A three-digit annual growth in turnover
• More than 1,000 campaigns distributed worldwide in 2014 for more than 300 brands and 50 agencies
• More than 2,500 sites are using the platform, reaching more than 200 million users per month
• International awards received in 2014 including World Cup Tech Challenge, Le Web, UBI i/o, BPI excellence
About Sublime Skinz
Founded in December 2012 in Paris, France, by six experienced digital advertising entrepreneurs, Sublime Skinz is the European leader of Skin-advertising. The company offers, since its creation, both direct sales and RTB buying, and provides the perfect match between programmatic advertising and branding and proposes technological solutions with complex formats by creating simple and effective standards that can be used by all. For more information visit www.sublimeskinz.com or follow on twitter: @sublimeskinz
About ISAI
ISAI, the French web entrepreneurs' fund was founded by Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet, Geoffroy Roux de Bezieux, Stéphane Treppoz and Ouriel Ohayon and is managed by Jean-David Chamboredon (Chairman and CEO), Christophe Raynaud (Managing Partner) and Pierre Martini (Managing Partner). ISAI invests in internet companies that are rigorously selected and actively supports them by sharing their ecosystem. ISAI manages three funds: two venture capital funds launched in 2010 and 2015, and one Growth/LBO fund launched in 2012.
In addition to the founders, ISAI regroups more than eighty entrepreneurs having invested in one or multiple funds, including the founders of 118218, 24h, Abaxia, Admark, Alapage, Alloresto, Aposition, Aufeminin, BDDP, Betclic, BourseDirecte, Boursorama, Chateauonline, Cityvox, Companeo, ComprendreChoisir, Cosmobay, Directinet, DirectPanel, Empruntis, EVE, Fastbooking, Fia-Net, Fortuneo, Freever, Fullsix, Highdeal, Infobebes, Kelkoo, LesJeudis, Micromania Mistergooddeal, Overblog, Netcentrex, Notrefamille, Onedirect, Photoweb, Pick-up Services, Photobox, PressIndex, Priceminister, Prizee, Quantum Advertising, Sarenza, Screentonic, Seloger, ShowRoomPrive, Sophis, ThePhoneHouse, Travelprice, Twenga, Toluna, Ventre-privee, Voyagermoinscher, Webhelp, Wcube.
ISAI Gestion is an investment management firm recognized by the AMF (French Financial Services Authority) that manages more than 140M€. For more information visitwww.isai.fr or follow on twitter: @isai_fr
US Press Contact
Jerem Febvre
T : +14153209807
[1] Source Alenty
[2] Source Sticky
[3] Source DFA, Smartadserver
ISAI AND KEENSIGHT CAPITAL INVEST IN THE LABELIUM GROUP
ISAI and Keensight Capital today announce their investment in the Labelium group, an international leader in online marketing, in order to accompany the management team in the next steps of the company’s development.
The operation, after which the management will remain a majority shareholder, was carried out by ISAI’s growth & buyout fund and represents the first investment of Keensight Capital’s new fund, Keensight IV. The deal was structured with a banking pool and will provide Labelium the necessary means to pursue its growth ambitions, notably in Asia, while also developing new offers aligned with market developments.
Founded in 2001 in Paris by Stéphane Levy, David Ajenstat and Nicolas Barnabé, the Labelium group is a major player in the implementation of digital strategies and improving the online presence of its clients. In addition to its wide experience in audit, consulting and natural and paid search engine referencing (SEO/SEM), the group provides services across all areas of performance-based online marketing (Youtube, mobile, and main social media platforms).
Labelium is today the partner of choice for large international groups for their digital marketing needs. The Labelium group, headquartered in Paris, is active in 11 countries throughout the world and employs close to 100 people.
Stéphane Levy, co-founder and president of Labelium, comments:
“We welcome the arrival of ISAI and Keensight Capital, two investors who have an in-depth knowledge of our sector. We will be able to benefit from their wide experience in order to succeed in implementing our growth projects, both in the development of new products and services and in our international expansion.”
Pierre Martini, Partner at ISAI, states:
“The Labelium group has strong development potential and should continue to benefit from the growth of companies’ marketing budgets dedicated to digital strategies in the coming years. We are enthusiastic about working with the Labelium team, which enjoys a unique expertise in this market, and about providing the group with our know-how and network.”
Philippe Crochet, Partner at Keensight Capital, adds:
“We are delighted to be able to support Labelium’s managers in this new stage of development. Our team, which has a wide experience in the digital sector, is very confident in Labelium’s growth potential. We will work closely with the managing team in order to help the company to successfully pursue its growth strategy and to support its international development.”
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About ISAI
ISAI was founded by Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet (PriceMinister), Geoffroy Roux de Bezieux (Virgin Mobile), Stéphane Treppoz (Sarenza), and Ouriel Ohayon (Appsfire). It is managed by Jean-David Chamboredon, Christophe Raynaud and Pierre Martini.
ISAI invests via two funds: an early-stage post-seed venture fund and a Private Equity fund dedicated to growth and buyout transactions.
Alongside the founders, ISAI has more than 70 individual investors, including founders, executives, or former executives of: 24h00, Abaxia, Alapage, Alloresto, Aposition, Aufeminin, Betclic, BourseDirect, Boursorama, Cityvox, Companeo, Criteo, Directinet, DirectPanel, EVE, Fianet, Fortuneo, Freever, Fullsix, Highdeal, Infobebes, LesJeudis, Micromania, Mistergooddeal, Overblog, Netcentrex, Onedirect, Photoweb, Pick-up Services, Photobox, PressIndex, Prizee, Screentonic, Seloger, ShowRoomPrive, Sophis, Travelprice, Twenga, Toluna, Vente-privee, Voyagermoinscher, Webhelp et Wcube.
ISAI currently manages EUR 85 Million and is an AMF authorized portfolio management company.
About Keensight Capital
Keensight Capital is a leading European Growth Private Equity firm managing funds backed by European institutional investors. Keensight Capital targets first-class international projects to finance organic growth or build-up strategies, or to cash out existing shareholders. Specific sectors of interest include Information Technology, Healthcare, and Energy. In each of these sectors, our team provides insights and expertise through its entrepreneurial and operational background and its access to a worldwide network built over the past 15 years.
Press contacts
Keensight Capital
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Aliénor Miens - alienor.miens@citigate.fr - +33 (0)1 53 32 84 77
Dominic Riding - dominic.riding@citigate.fr - +33 (0)1 53 32 84 74
ISAI Gestion
Kablé Communication Finance
Marie-Helene Veillon – marie-helene.veillon@kable-cf.com - + 33 (0)1 44 50 54 70
SECOND CLOSING
ISAI finalizes the closing of its first FCPR at 35 M€ 6 months after its first closing. 70 entrepreneurs from 57 different companies are joigning the fund. On the institutional side, Idinvest is joigning Arkea and CDC.